Well, duh. Bands that are on stage in a huge venue for one or two songs rarely have their instruments plugged in (and yeah some instruments don't need to be plugged in anymore - they use wireless connection). Ever seen a band play at the Eurovision Song contest? They are never plugged in either.

NO ONE PLAYS LIVE AT THE SUPER BOWL. Take it from the daughter of a drum tech that has worked the superbowl MULTIPLE TIMES. Bruno didnt perform live either! They just turned his mic on inbetween songs to say thank you. ignorant. >.<

Why did they have this in New York?
Am I the only one that remembers when Superbowl first started they only had them in cities that had some sun like Dallas, New Orleans, Miami, etc. Who wants to pay those prices and worry about snow and rain?